Belen, NM passes resolution against CISFs

The city of Belen, New Mexico is the latest to pass a resolution opposing the two irradiated nuclear fuel centralized interim storage facilities (CISFs) targeted at its region of the country, namely the Holtec International/Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance in southeastern New Mexico, and the Waste Control Specialists/Interim Storage Partners in western Texas. (See more about other resolutions passed elsewhere in NM and TX, and what you canc do to pass a resolution where you live!)

The Valencia County, NM News-Bulletin has reported on this story.

Together, the two CISFs propose to store 173,600 metric tons, and 40,000 metric tons, of irradiated nuclear fuel, respectively.

Altogether, that's 213,600 Metric Tons of commercial irradiated nuclear fuel. That's 3.4 times the amount of commercial irradiated nuclear fuel (63,000 metric tons) targeted for burial at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

Belen's resolution includes its concerns about the high risks of transport of high-level radioactive waste through its area.

The State of Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects has documented that the 70,000 metric tons of highly radioactive waste targeted for burial at Yucca Mountain (the additional 7,000 metric tons would be U.S. Department of Energy irradiated nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste) would require more than 12,000 truck, train, and barge shipments, through many major cities in 44 states. (See these road and rail route maps, as well as shipment numbers, below; see potential barge routes here).

Thus, Belen and the rest of NM would be put at risk from more than three times the road, rail, and waterway shipments bound for NV under the Yucca dump scheme.

[Road and rail routes bound for Yucca Mountain, NV, as well as shipment numbers:

• Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects - Cities Potentially Affected by Shipments to Yucca Mountain (pdf-2.45M)
• Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects - States Potentially Affected by Shipments to Yucca Mountain, Nevada - Fred Dilger, PhD
• Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects - Congressional Districts Potentially Affected by Shipments to Yucca Mountain, Nevada ]